Floor drain



Nov. 3, 1931. w. J. LU-FF 1,830,065

FLOOR DRAIN Filed Oct. 29. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 mvENToR 4 h f/Aara 1 my ATTO NEY3 Patented Nov. 3, 1931 PATENT OFFICE WILLARD J. LUFF, OF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO FLOOR DRAIN Applicatiuin filed. October 29, 1930. Serial No. 491,884.

This invention relates to improvements in inlet devices for connections of drainage pipes or a drainage system to surfaces from which water or liquid wastes are to be Lg drained, and particularly to improvements in devices adapted for use with floors or paved areas which are formed with cement, or concrete, or similar material.

It is customary to construct floors, paved areas, and shower bath compartments, with the upper surface of a hard and impervious material, such as hard cement or non-porous tile, marble, terrazzo, or other non-porous material set in cement, so that such a surface .will not absorb any unsanitary waste matter and may be thoroughly washed or cleaned and the liquid waste disposed of through inlets into the drainage system.

The cement formed around such an inlet shrinks when it hardens and seasons, leaving a space about the inlet through which water and liquid wastes may seep and drop to the ceiling or floor below, or saturate the surrounding porous fioor material.

It has been customary to intercept this seepage by means of a shield or pan and seepage holes, which direct the seepage into the interior of the drain device. These seepage holes very often become clogged and thereafter the seepage is absorbed by the porous material below the upper surface of the floor or passes through the floor construction causing damage below the floor.

The object of my invention is to 'provide a practical device of the character described, whereby a water tight joint may be secured between the upper surface of the floor and an inlet connectedto a trap or fitting ofa drainage pipe or drainage system, and to provide in the device horizontal and vertical adjustment of the upper surface of the inlet to conform to the upper surface of the floor.

More particularly, an object of the invention is to make the drain device of an assembly of parts so separable that the device may be conveniently used as a form about which may be poured the material of the floor to be drained; so that after completion of the floor the upper parts of the drain may be removed, and permanently plastic sealing ma- Figs, 4-!

terial inserted between the flooring and the upper drain member.

Another object of the invention is to providethe strainer or surface member of the drain, which is disposed at the surface to be drained, with a periphery overhanging the drain parts immediately therebeneath, with the upper and lower faces of the surface member meeting at the periphery at an acute angle, whereby the floor part adjacent the surface member will have a corresponding obtuse angle and hence will not be easily chipped.

Another object is to provide a spherical y seating arrangement of the surface member, '65 whereby the drain may be self-accommodating to floor surface departures from the level, or to departures of the other drain parts from. plumb. r V 1 A further object of the invention is to provide by simple structure, and in addition to the usual flow from the surface member to the conduit member of the drain, exit means into the conduit member for seepage about the drain. 75

And another object of the invention is to provide foradjustment of the parts to accommodatedifferences in elevation between the floor level and'that of the conduit memberof the drain.

The exact nature of the invention together with further objects and advantages thereof Will be apparent from the following description taken in connectionwith the accompany- 3 ing drawings, in which Figs. 1*?) show one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 1 being a sectional elevation of the installation, a section of Fig. 1 being as in the planes of line 1 1, Fig. 2; Fig; 2' is a transverse sectionas in the plane of line 22, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the installation of Fig. 1; illustrate another embodiment of the invention, wherein Fig. i is an assembly View of the parts generally corresponding with the showing of Fig. l but showing the surface member in a different adjusted position; Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional elevation and bottom views respectively of a sleeve corresponding to that appearing in Fig. 4; and Fig. 7 is a detail in section following Fig. 43

but showing the employment of flashing in connection with the device; and Figs. 8 and 9 are detail views in sectional elevation and bottom plan respectively, of another embodiment adapted for use in large drain sizes.

ith reference now to the drawings, each form of the device may include a conduit member 1 which may have at its lower end any convenient form of connection to the sewage drain, as the threads 2 shown Fig. 4. The opposite end or mouth of the conduit member 1 is threaded as at 3, and thereabout extends a circular shield flange 4i slightly conical as indicated, to drain into the mouth 3.

With reference now to the embodiment of Figs. 1-3, the stem portion 5 of a nipple member 6, eXteriorly threaded for the purpose, is turned into the mouth 3 of the conduit member. The nipple has above its stem portion an expanded mouth portion 7.

Against this mouth portion of the nipple seats a strainer or surface member 8. The upper face 9 of the surface member may be flat as illust'ated, but its lower peripheral surface 10 is spherical, as is the peripheral portion of the nipple mouth 7; so that the one abutting face may have sliding adjustment on the other, to adjust the surface member with respect to the other parts which are in fixed assembly. The nipple 6 is provided with a bridge 11 and the surface member with a generally central opening 12; and a screw 13 is passed through the opening .12 and threaded into the bridge 11 as indicated to maintain the surface member seated upon the nipple. The opening 12 is elongatedas appears Fig. 3 so that the screw 13 may secure the surface member in adjusted positions upon the nipple. So, for example, the surface member could be shifted to the right Figs. 1 and 3 and secured by the screw. The surface member is provided with the usual plurality of through openings 14.

The threaded stem portion 5 of the nipple extends upwardly beyond the mouth 3 of the conduit member 1. Turned onto the stem portion above the conduit member is a ring 15. This ring is .interiorly threaded to fit the threads of the nipple and provided with lugs 16 for convenience in turning. Theiunder face 18 of the ring is conical corresponding with the-flange t and is provided with a number of radial grooves 17. Thethreads of the conduit member or of the :nipple are interrupted: and as here shown those of the nipple are interrupted at '19. "For'convenience in cutting, the interruptions are made gradual. To allow convenient assembly of-the ring upon the nipple'the expanded portion 7 of the nipple is made separable from the stem portion 5 thereof. Thus the expanded portion 7 is shown with .a lip 20 overhanging inwardly the upper extremity 21 of the stem portion against which the flange portion seats.

It will be apparent that when the parts are imbedded in floor material as indicated at 22, having the surface 23 to be drained, with the surface member 8 at. or imbeded in, such surface, drainage will be had through the openings ll of the surface member, the parts 7 and '5 of the nipple, into the conduit mem ber 1. Secpage entering about the surface member will be caught by the flange 4, passed tl rough the grooves 17 of the ring 15 and will hence enter the conduit member 1 by way of the vertical grooves formed by the thread interruptions 19 on the outside of the nipple.

In laying the floor, the parts are conveniently assembled as shown Fig. 1 and the door material. poured thereabout. lVhere the floor is to be surfaced with tile, this may be set in also with the drain parts a r crnlfle l. lVith the conduit member iiXechthe elevation of the nipple and consequently of the surface member, may be adjusted by turning the nipple in the mouth of'the conduit member; and the adjusted position maintained by turn ing the locking ring 15 against the flange 1. Thereafter the surface member 8 may be renoved by removal of the screw 13 and a permanently plastic sealing material 24 auplied between the peripheral part of the surface member and the underlying floor material afterwhich the surface member is rcplaced and secured. This plastic material will prevent seepage between the surface member and the surrounding floor material and as the floor shrinks may be added to if necessary, adjustment being made bylho screw 13.

'lVith reference now to the embodiment of Figs. 4 7, the nipple 6a is in the form of a threaded ring turned into the mouth of the conduit member 1. The ring carries a bridg 11a supporting the screw 13 by which the curface member 8 is secured. In this form, however, the surface member is supported by a sleeve member 25 intern'iediahe the surface member and the flange 4-. The upper face 26 of the sleeve is spherical correspomling with the seating face of the surface member and the lower face of the sleeve is provided with radial grooves 17a for disposition of seepage collected by the flange 4-, such seepage entering the conduit member through the central opening of the nipple 6a. Occasional of the grooves 17a may be enlargei'l as at 1Tb for the insertion of a screwdriver or the like for conveniently prying the sleeve 25 loose from the conduit member when desired. The nipple 6a may be provided with lugs 27 interspaced between the arms of the bridge 11a for centrally locating the sleeve. Obviously this form of the device may .13 disposed inthe floor to be drained in a manner substantially similar to the showing of Fig. 1, with plastic sealing applied to the overhanging surface member periphery as before. I11 this form of the device, however, there is no adjustment between the surface member and the conduit member. Consequently I may replace the sleeve member with another sleeve member such as that shown in Fig. 5, similar in all respects except vertical dimension. Ofcourse, upon such substitution a longer screw 13 will be necessary to reach from the strainer to the bridge.

Fig. 7 shows the interposition of a flashing 28 between the sleeve 25 and the flange 4. This flashing need not be used in most installations, but when so inserted drainage will be had from the flashing as heretofore described from the flange 4. It will be obvious that in the same manner flashing may be interposed between the locking ring 15 and the flange 4: of Fig. 1.

WVhere the drain is of large size and, therefore, the surface member of large breadth, structure as appears in Figs. 8 and 9 may be employed in the place of the bridges l1 and 11a and screws 13, for securing this member seated upon the member therebelow. Thus in these figures the member 30 Which corresponds with the member 7 of Fig. 1 and the member 25 of Figs. 4 and 7, and which has a spherical face 26a to lit the spherical peripheral sealing surface of the surface member 8a, may be provided with a flange 31 extending inwardly at its periphery as indicated Fig. 8 to form an annular shoulder 32. The surface member 8a may ha e a separate central strainer plate 8. removably seated in the recess so that the member 8a is generally in the form of a ring with a central opening 33 which the plate 8?) overlies. Thus a number of screws ea may be arranged in openings circumferentially spaced about the member 8a and each screw provided, below the lip 31, with a nut :35 having an eccentrically extending portion 36. By this arrangement after the surface member 8a is positioned in its desired angular adjustment upon the member 80, the strainer plate 86 being removed, the screws 34 may be turned to tighten the nuts 35. Each nut will thus be swung to engage its eccentric portion 36 under the shoulder 32; so that the surface member 8a may be securely clamped.

What I claim is:

1. In a surface drain device, a strainer adapted to be set into the surface to be drained with the periphery of its upper face flush therewith, a conduit member having a mouth beneath the strainer, and-means intermediate the strainer and the conduit memher to deliver drainage from the former to the latter, said strainer and intermediate means having spherical abutting faces whereby the strainer may be adjustably positioned to seat upon the intermediate means, said abutting face portion of said strainer continuing beyond that of said intermediate means to bear upon'its surrounding surface material.

2. In a surface drain device, a strainer adapted to be set into the surface to be drained with its upper face flush therewith, a conduit member having a mouth beneath the strainer, means intermediate the strainer and the conduit member to deliver drainage from the former to the latter, said strainerand intermediate means having spherical abutting faces whereby the strainer may be adjustably positioned to seat upon the intermediate means, the abutting face of said strainer meeting its upper face at an acute angle peripherally of the strainer, whereby the corresponding edge of the drainage surface about the strainer will have an obtuse angle.

A surface drain device comprising a strainer adapted to be disposed upon the surface to be drained, a conduit member having a mouth with a flange th-ereabout extending laterally beyond the strainer, a nipple having a mouth to receive drainage from said strainer and secured in the mouth of said con duit to deliver said drainage thereto, and means securing said strainer upon said nipple, the abutting surfaces of said strainer and nipple being spherical, and said securing means being adapted to allow relative sliding adjustment of these parts. 7

4?. A surface drain. device comprising a strainer, a conduit member havinga mouth with a shield flange thereab out extending laterally beyond the strainer, a nipple having a mouth to receive drainage from said strainer and secured in the mouth of said conduit member to deliver said drainage thereto, and means securing said strainer upon said nipple, said strainer having an up per faceadapted to have its periphery disposed in the plane of thesurface to be drained, and on its opposite side'a spherically curved face joining the upper face at an acute angle and abutting the nipple, the corresponding face of the nipple being similarly spherical, said securing means allowing relative adjustment of said abutting faces.

5. A surface drain device comprising a conduit member having an interiorly threaded mouth with a flange thereabout, an intermediate member having a stem portion screwthreaded into the mouth of said conduit member to deliver drainage thereto, the threads of one of said members being interrupted, an interiorly threaded locking ring turned onto said stem portion against said flange, a strainer adapted to be disposed upon the surface to be drained, said intermediate member having an expanded mouth portion providing aseat for said strainer, said mouth portion being separable from said stem, portion, whereby said locking ring may be turned onto said stem portion after assembly of said stem portion with the conduit member.

6; A surface drain device comprising a strainer adapted to be disposed upon the surface to be drained, a conduit member having a mouth with a flange thereabout extending laterally beyond the strainer, a nipple secured in the mouth of said conduit member and having a bridge, a sleeve arranged about said nipple, between the strainer and the conduit member to deliver drainage from'the former to the latter, means carried by said nipple for locating said sleeve upon said conduit member, and means associating said strainer with said bridge to maintain the strainer seated upon the sleeve.

7. In a surface drain device, a surface member having an opening therethrough and being adapted to have its upper surface disposed in adjustment With the surface to be drained, a conduit member having an inlet opening beneath said surface member, a sleeve member intermediate said surface member and said conduit member to deliver drainage from the former to the latter, a nipple secured on said inlet opening, said nipple having a bridge, and means arranged centrally of the parts and associating said bridge With said surface member to maintain the assembly, said surface member overhanging said sleeve, said surface member and said sleeve having spherical abutting faces, and said sleeve having its exterior surface flared outwardly and upwardly from said conduit member.

8. In a surface drain device, a member adapted 'to be set into the surface to be drained, drainage means therebelow, said member and said drainage means having 00- operative spherical seating faces concentric about a point above said surface, and means for securing said member seated upon said drainage means in various tilted positions.

In testimony whereof I hereby aflix my signature.

WILLARD J. LUFF. 

